And God said, "Let there be lights in the expanse of the sky to separate the day from the night, and let them serve as signs to mark seasons and days and years, and let them be lights in the expanse of the sky to give light on the earth." And it was so. (Genesis 1:14-15 NIV)
I AM SO GLAD when Christmas comes because of the lights, sounds and memories we share and the new ones that happen each year. Genesis 1: 14-15 says, "Let there be lights ... to separate the day from the night, and ... to mark seasons and days and years, and ... to give light on the earth."
Each year for the past several, I have set up a lighted Christmas village. I feel that I am creating a setting to prepare for the celebration of the birth of Jesus. As I switch on the lights of the village upon completion, it gives me the feeling that I am sure God must have intended when he gave light to the earth.
The sounds that accompany the village are the carolers sharing the message of Christ's coming. The ringing of church bells and the sounds of the village as the people prepare, each in his own way, in anticipation of the most blessed of events. The village permits me to go back to the days of less commercialized Christmas preparations, when the most important thing was the celebration of the Christ Child in a time of shared peace and love.
Who of us does not have a storehouse of memories, from the earliest recollections of childhood to perhaps the last Christmas I shared with family. There is no more poignant memory than to recall the Christmas that I shared with someone who has gone on before us. The feelings of closeness and love seem more prevalently meaningful at this time of the year. Without memories or the sharing of them with family and friends, much of the true meaning of Christmas is weak and wanting.
From our family to you and yours -- may the lights of Christmas brighten your holidays, the sounds fill your hearts with love and peace, and the memories provide years of joy and contentment until you can share them with all your loved ones.
By Ned and Anna Sue Marshall
